More than six months after unveiling plans to build an open-air shopping center in Romulus, MI, New England Development took another step forward in this project. The Newton-based developer announced it teamed up with Baltimore-based Paragon Outlet Partners to create the 360,000-square-foot shopping center directly opposite Detroit Metro Airport which is transited by approximately 32 million passengers annually.

Scheduled to open in 2016, Outlets of Michigan is ideally located on a highly visible site spanning 36 acres and located at the northeast corner of I-94 and Vining Road. According to New England Development, the shopping center is expected to fill the outlet shopping needs of Ann Arbor, Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio—especially Toledo, which is not currently served by an outlet center—or around 3.4 million people living within 30 miles of the site.

Additionally, the mall is located just 21 miles west from the Canadian border crossing. According to Paragon’s website, around 20 million travelers visit Metro Detroit each year, and 64 percent of them are out-of-state visitors who typically spend more than state residents. More than 1.6 million Canadians visited Michigan in 2012 and spent nearly $430 million at various shopping venues across the state. As such, market specialists estimate that the new Outlets of Michigan will drive a 5.5 percent increase in visitor spending and a 3 percent increase in tourist volume.

Outlets of Michigan will be home to approximately 90 retailers. Though the development team hasn’t named any specific stores, leasing activity has already begun and is well underway. With the development team all set up and permitting pending approval, construction at the site could start this summer, Detroit Free Pressreported.